Plant Notebook | NZ Natives | Roses | Garden Style | Vegetables | Garden Events | Kids Pages | A-Z Index Now is the time to plan for the Ellerslie International Flower Show. Tickets are on sale now for the show which runs from 7 - 11 March 2012 at www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz. This exciting event will be part of the rebuilding of Christchurch, especially for gardeners, after the devastation of the recent earthquakes. See our review of the 2010 show Summer is here and caring for the garden over summer holidays will be focussed on retaining soil moisture, keeping the weeds down and dead heading. Do we say this every year?! Keeping the roses dead headed ensures a long flowering period and for many perenials ensures a repeat flowering. Try this link for rose and plant care. If you are looking for a plant which can survive with minimal water (for that difficult area) try Catmint (Nepeta mussini ). This perenial thrives on poverty and neglect tolerating a wide range of soils. It should not be fertilised and enjoys a well drained site. An excellent edging plant, it should be sheared back after the initial flush of flowers to prolong flowering. Taller varieties are suitable for the middle to back of the border. For most plants but especially roses watering deeply twice weekly is preferable. A thin mulch of lawn clippings kept away from the stem retains moisture and keeps the weeds down. Use seaweed or fish fertilisers and combine with half-and-half trim milk and water with soda bicarbonate for a good environmental spray that feeds and keeps the mildew (and possums) at bay. Take time to enjoy the garden - your own and others! Happy gardening Practical Gardening Salad Days Having your salad bowl at your back door ensures there is always a fresh supply. A tub of salad greens which can be trimmed with the kitchen scissors, a few herbs - parsley, mint, basil - make it easy! Try this link Stuff for Kids Much is written about getting children interested in gardening early. Recently we read of a gardener who made a children's garden with plants with animal names to entice the children into the garden. The list included foxgloves (Digitalis) bears breeches (Acanthus spinosis) hounds tongue (Cynoglossum officinale) catmint (Nepeta mussini) tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium) dogs tooth violets (Erythronium) mouse plants (Arisarum proboscieum glomeratum) You may think of others See our Kids pages for projects. Garden Inspiration Geraniums The hardy geranium is a great addition to the garden as it tolerates most situations and soil types. It is often confused with the frost tender house plant pelargonium. Geraniums are more commonly known as cranesbills and there is one for every situation The native New Zealand G. traversii var.elegans grown in an elevated pot can make a dramatic statement. See the full article Geraniums. Garden How-To Snails and slugs thrive in the warm moist weather and there a number of environmentally friendly solutions. Beer traps are easy to make in an old yogurt container by cutting a hole in the side, filling with an inch of beer, replace the lid and place next to the delectable plant. The snails are attracted and in they go! Here are some other bug controls you can use. Roses Rose of the Month R. 'Madame Alfred Carriere' Madame Alfred Carriere has large, double creamy white flowers, touched with yellow at the base of the petals, appearing in clusters in early summer and a second flush in autumn. There seems to be a bloom on this wonderful old rose almost throughout the year in all but the coldest winters. The foliage is a light green, contrasting well with the pale flowers, and the fragrance is light, sweet and delicious. A strong growing, healthy climber with good disease resistance, Mme Alfred is suited to gardens throughout New Zealand. A relatively trouble-free and comparatively thorn-less rose that is a good candidate for archways and pergolas where thorny roses pose a safety hazard. Look at the end of a story to share gardening inspiration with others. Tell a friend about your favourite gardening website - click 'Tell a friend' below. bestgardening.com Especially for New Zealand gardeners - much, much more than a website. List For Free Remember, you can list your event or garden club for free. Contact us at bestgardening.com * Back to Top * How-To * Garden Hub * A to Z Index * Events * Gardens Open * Plants * Garden Design * Copyright 2000-2011 bestgardening.com Limited. All rights reserved. webmaster@bestgardening.com Last revised 12 December 2011